Focus

Please note every * represents a moment I was distracted whilst writing this article.

We live in a world where there is a constant bombardment of information to absorb. Every waking second we are presented with the colourful lights of our mobiles, the pinging of our emails, changing billboards and ads on any available surface. Everything around us is saying “look at me” “give me attention” and many times the unwanted* distractions win.

Growing up with a remote control in my hand taught me the art of short attention. As a teenager any boredom was quickly fixed by exploring a channel. “NEXT” became an internal dialogue. Almost like a methodical * self-induced version of A.D.D*. I got to a point where listening to a 3 1/2 minute song from beginning to end was a struggle *. I knew this wasn’t a healthy way to live and so I’ve been on a journey to learn to quiet my mind and find focus.

One great place where my mind has found solace is meditation. It’s something I’ve been wanting to embrace for a long time but to be perfectly honest I was too scared to be left alone with my own thoughts. I didn’t really want to hear what I was thinking. I signed myself to a collection of meditation classes which gave me an introduction to the noise in my head which helped me slowly begin my lifelong journey of meditation*.

If you’re feeling the constant pushing and shoving of a short attention span I do recommend the power of meditation and if you’re anything like me, perhaps look into a course / class to begin with. Two aspects I found very useful* from my meditation teacher was

There were two BIG tips I found very useful* from my meditation teacher that I hope you will find useful.

Firstly – meditate in the morning. Once your day begins you probably won’t find the time later on, so commit first thing. (I set my alarm clock 10 minutes early (and I’m not a morning person) to wake up to do a 10-minute meditation and then when it’s done – it’s done…) Surely you can give yourself a gift of 10 minutes everyday? Even if 10 is too much – try 2 minutes. I’m listening to 2 minute affirmations when I first wake up and they do positively impact my day.

Secondly – remember “you are not your thoughts”. This is something for you to ponder on but let me put it this way, if you can hear your thoughts, who is in your mind that is listening? Is it possible your thoughts are separate from you?

If you love a tech-savvy solution to a meditation journey, may I recommend Headspace I used it in the beginning of my meditation journey and I found it to be super helpful.

I now meditate on a daily basis (imperfectly). It has become fuel for my mind and allows me to accept the noise, gently move it aside and put my energy where I want it to. As the elements of the world continue to scream for our attention, permit yourself the indulgence of putting your mind and internal voice first. It* * * will help you achieve the clarity you need to live your best possible life.

*Moments during this article I struggled to focus

My phone buzzed – who is it? is it a whatsapp? email? facebook messenger

Should I be finishing off my paid work instead of writing this article

I’m bored already. What else can I write about?

Curious about my phone again

Curious about the time

Thinking about writing about “to do lists” and doing one thing at a time…

Saw someone emailed me and needed to see who it was

Received a calendar event reminder

Written by Danielle Lauren

Danielle Lauren

Danielle Lauren has been working in the Entertainment Industry for over 17 years. Her love of storytelling has passionately driven her to a successful career with global credentials. She has directed ‘The Vagina Monologues’ at The Sydney Opera House, ran MTV Australia / New Zealand as their sole Executive Producer, mobilised 30,000 filmmakers internationally to film their lives simultaneously for a feature film called the 11Eleven Project and currently works on digital projects for Google, Microsoft, Sky, Sony, BBC and MTV UK. Passionate about making the world a better place for all people Danielle has also worked with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, WWF, UNHCR, NSW Rape Crisis Centre, WIZO and the Aids Council. Danielle currently sits on the Royal Television Society’s futures committee, helping young people build fledging careers in the UK TV Industry. A global citizen Danielle was born in South Africa, grew up in Australia, lived in America, France and now resides in the United Kingdom.